Chapter 16. Helping Older Adults Prepare
Older adults may face additional challenges during a wildfire, earthquake, severe storm, power outage, evacuation, or other emergency. Limited mobility, medical conditions, transportation needs, hearing or vision loss, prescription requirements, and dependence on electrical medical equipment can make a rapid response more difficult.
Families in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Sunol, and surrounding Tri-Valley communities should include older adults in household emergency planning. Preparation should reflect each person’s abilities, preferences, routines, and concerns. Age alone does not determine what assistance someone needs.
Plan Respectfully with the Older Adult
Begin by asking the older adult what would help them feel prepared. Do not assume that family members or caregivers automatically understand the person’s needs.
Discuss questions such as:
- What tasks can the person complete independently?
- What assistance might be needed during an evacuation?
- Which medications, devices, and personal items are essential?
- Who should be contacted first?
- Where would the person prefer to stay if displaced?
- Would a shelter meet the person’s health and accessibility needs?
- What situations might create confusion, anxiety, or discomfort?
Write down the plan in clear language and give copies to appropriate family members, caregivers, and trusted emergency contacts.
Address Mobility and Physical Assistance
An older adult who walks independently under normal conditions may have difficulty moving quickly through smoke, darkness, debris, crowds, stairs, or unfamiliar surroundings. Determine whether the person uses a cane, walker, wheelchair, scooter, transfer equipment, or other mobility aid.
Keep essential mobility devices accessible rather than stored in a closet, garage, or another difficult-to-reach location. When practical, include spare cane tips, wheelchair tools, charging equipment, or other replacement supplies in the emergency kit.
If the person lives in an apartment, condominium, senior community, or multistory home, discuss what would happen if elevators stopped working. Never use an elevator during a fire unless emergency personnel specifically authorize it. Ask the property manager about accessible evacuation procedures and designated areas of assistance.
Caregivers should understand how to provide help safely. Attempting to lift or transfer someone without appropriate knowledge can injure both people.
Arrange Accessible Transportation
An older adult may no longer drive, may avoid nighttime driving, or may require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Identify at least two possible transportation arrangements before an emergency.
These might include:
- A nearby relative or trusted neighbor
- A caregiver or home-health worker
- An accessible transportation provider
- A senior transportation program
- Assistance identified through a local emergency agency
- A residential community’s evacuation procedure
Confirm whether the vehicle can accommodate a wheelchair, walker, oxygen equipment, service animal, or caregiver. Do not assume that a taxi, rideshare service, or public transit vehicle will be available during a large evacuation.
If an evacuation warning is issued and transportation requires additional time, begin arranging assistance early. When there is an immediate threat and no safe transportation is available, call 911 and clearly describe the person’s location, mobility needs, and medical concerns.
Organize Medications and Medical Information
Maintain a current written medication list containing each medication’s name, dosage, schedule, purpose, prescribing professional, and pharmacy. Include allergies, medical conditions, health-insurance information, and emergency healthcare contacts.
Ask the older adult’s healthcare provider or pharmacist how to maintain an appropriate emergency supply. Do not change a dosage, combine prescriptions, or alter storage conditions without professional guidance.
Some medications require refrigeration or protection from heat, freezing, moisture, or light. Plan for safe transportation and backup cooling before an outage occurs. The plan should also address insulin, injections, testing supplies, incontinence products, ostomy supplies, dentures, and other daily health needs.
Prepare Hearing and Vision Supports
Emergency warnings may be missed when someone cannot hear an alarm, telephone, television announcement, or person knocking at the door. Consider alert systems that use flashing lights, vibration, amplified sound, or more than one form of notification.
Include hearing aids, compatible batteries or chargers, eyeglasses, magnifying devices, contact-lens supplies, and communication aids in the emergency plan. Store spare items when reasonably available.
Keep written instructions in large, readable type if the person has limited vision. Emergency contacts should know the person’s preferred communication method. The CDC recommends including batteries or portable chargers for adaptive equipment and any necessary communication aids in an individualized emergency kit. Review the CDC’s emergency-kit guidance.
Plan for Medical Equipment and Power Interruptions
Older adults may depend on oxygen equipment, a powered wheelchair, a home dialysis system, a CPAP machine, an adjustable bed, a stair lift, a medication refrigerator, or another electrically operated device.
Document the equipment’s name, model, supplier, power requirements, battery duration, and emergency telephone number. Ask the equipment provider and healthcare professional about approved backup-power arrangements and what to do during an extended outage.
Do not connect medical equipment to a generator, battery system, or other power source unless the equipment manufacturer or qualified professional confirms that it is appropriate. Generators must never be operated inside a home, garage, or near doors, windows, or vents because carbon monoxide can cause serious injury or death.
Ready.gov recommends planning for prescriptions, medical equipment, assistive devices, communication requirements, and backup power according to the individual’s needs. Explore Ready.gov planning guidance.
Create an Emergency Contact and Check-In Network
Identify several dependable people who can check on the older adult. The network might include relatives, neighbors, caregivers, friends, faith-community members, or senior-service providers.
Agree on:
- Who will make the first check-in
- Who has a key or approved access
- Who can provide transportation
- Who can collect medication or supplies
- Who will help if the primary contact is unavailable
- How often check-ins should occur during heat, smoke, outages, or evacuations
Avoid depending on a single person. Mobile service may fail, roads may close, or the designated helper may be away. Establish a backup communication method and an out-of-area contact.
The federal Eldercare Locator can connect older adults and families with local aging services at 1-800-677-1116. Visit the Administration for Community Living’s emergency-preparedness resources.
Review the plan at least twice a year and after any change in health, medication, mobility, transportation, housing, caregiver availability, or medical equipment.
Helpful Hint
Offer assistance respectfully. Include the older adult in emergency planning instead of making every decision on the person’s behalf. Ask what support is wanted, preserve independence where possible, and ensure that the final plan reflects the person’s preferences and actual needs.
Important Safety Reminder
Do not delay an evacuation while attempting to gather every medication, device, or personal possession. Leave promptly when ordered and follow current instructions from authorized public-safety officials. If an older adult faces an immediate threat and cannot evacuate safely, call 911 and clearly explain the person’s location and assistance needs.
Important Preparedness and Safety Notice
This chapter provides general preparedness education, not real-time emergency instructions. Conditions, evacuation zones, routes, shelters, road closures, and public-safety directions can change rapidly. During an emergency, consult current information from authorized public agencies and follow all instructions issued by emergency officials. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life, active fire, serious injury, crime in progress, or another urgent emergency.
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